Lorain County, Ohio Sales Tax Rate
Buying in Lorain or anywhere in Lorain County? The combined sales tax rate is 6.50%. Below is the full breakdown and a calculator already set to Lorain County.
Lorain County Rate Breakdown
Bordering County Savings Radar
How Lorain's 6.50% rate compares on a $100.00 purchase across county lines
Retail Purchases
Under R.C. 5739.033(B)(1), sales made by Ohio vendors are origin-sourced to where the order is received. Out-of-state remote sellers shipping to Lorain County charge this 6.50% destination rate.
Vehicle Titling
Under R.C. 4505.06, motor vehicles are taxed strictly by your county of residence at titling. On a $30,000 vehicle, Lorain County residents owe $1,950.00.
Groceries & Medicine
Unprepared food for human consumption and prescription drugs are 100% exempt ($0 tax) statewide in Lorain County under the Ohio Constitution (Art. XII, § 13), R.C. 5739.02(B)(2) (food), and R.C. 5739.02(B)(18) (prescription drugs).
Lorain County's 6.50% rate sits below the statewide average of 7.14%. Across Ohio, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%. Compare all 88 Ohio county rates side by side.
Whether you're shopping in Lorain or anywhere else in Lorain County, a taxable purchase adds 0.75% in county and transit tax on top of Ohio's 5.75% state base — the 6.50% combined rate shown above. 3 of Ohio's 88 counties charge this exact rate, and none are lower — it's tied for the cheapest in the state. Cars, general merchandise, and prepared restaurant food are all taxed at 6.50%, while unprepared groceries and prescription drugs stay exempt statewide.
Ranked against the rest of the state, Lorain County is the 85th-highest of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 3 others on 6.50%. In hard numbers that matters most on big-ticket buys: a $30,000.00 car costs $1,950.00 in sales tax here. No Ohio county charges less, so no in-state address would lower that bill. At the other end, Cuyahoga County (8.00%) would charge $2,400.00. Ohio taxes a vehicle at the rate of the buyer's county of residence, not the dealer's, so the county on your registration is the one that sets the bill.
Lorain County is seated at Elyria, covers 493 square miles and is home to 314,588 people — the 9th-most-populous of Ohio's 88 counties, at about 639 people per square mile. 16 ZIP codes fall inside it, running from 44001 to 44090, and every one of them pays the same 6.50% — Ohio municipalities cannot levy a sales tax of their own, so there is no city surcharge anywhere in the county.
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimate (2023).
Calculate tax in Lorain County
Calculate Ohio Sales Tax
Ohio · 2026 tax year · all 88 countiesCalculate total cost and exact Ohio state + county tax on your pre-tax purchase.
An official 2026 estimate based on Ohio Department of Taxation rate schedules (R.C. 5739.02). Actual checkout receipts round intermediate fractions per R.C. 5739.025.
Lorain County sales tax by purchase amount
| Purchase | Sales Tax (6.50%) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | $0.07 | $1.07 |
| $5.00 | $0.33 | $5.33 |
| $10.00 | $0.65 | $10.65 |
| $25.00 | $1.63 | $26.63 |
| $50.00 | $3.25 | $53.25 |
| $100.00 | $6.50 | $106.50 |
| $500.00 | $32.50 | $532.50 |
| $1,000.00 | $65.00 | $1,065.00 |
Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt statewide, so they carry $0 tax in Lorain County. Prepared food and general merchandise are taxed at 6.50%.
Lorain County sales tax FAQ
Statutory guidance reconciled against official Ohio Department of Taxation regulations, county permissive levies, and R.C. 5739 sourcing rules.
The combined sales tax rate in Lorain County is 6.50% in 2026. That is Ohio's 5.75% state base plus a 0.75% county and transit portion.
At 6.50%, sales tax on a $100 taxable purchase in Lorain County is $6.50, for a total of $106.50.
No. Unprepared groceries and prescription drugs are exempt from Ohio sales tax statewide, so they are not taxed in Lorain County. Prepared food is taxable at 6.50%.
16 Ohio ZIP codes have Lorain County as their primary county, including 44001, 44011, 44012, 44028, 44035. All of them use the 6.50% combined rate. Because ZIP boundaries can cross county lines, a delivery address near the county line should be checked against Ohio's rate-by-address lookup.
Lorain County borders Erie (6.75%), Medina (6.75%), Ashland (7.00%), Huron (7.25%), Cuyahoga (8.00%). None of them charge less than Lorain's 6.50%.
At 6.50%, Lorain County has the 85th-highest combined sales tax rate of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 3 other counties. Statewide, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%.
Counties bordering Lorain County
Lorain County shares a line with 5 other Ohio counties. Crossing one of these lines genuinely changes the bill — though which side counts depends on who is selling: an Ohio seller charges its own county's rate on an intrastate sale, while an out-of-state or marketplace seller charges yours.
| County | Combined rate | vs Lorain | Tax on $30,000.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County | 6.75% | +0.25% | $2,025.00 |
| Medina County | 6.75% | +0.25% | $2,025.00 |
| Ashland County | 7.00% | +0.50% | $2,100.00 |
| Huron County | 7.25% | +0.75% | $2,175.00 |
| Cuyahoga County | 8.00% | +1.50% | $2,400.00 |
No county bordering Lorain charges less than 6.50%, so there is no cheaper neighbour to cross into.
ZIP codes in Lorain County (6.50% sales tax)
16 Ohio ZIP codes have Lorain County as its primary county. Every address in them pays the same 6.50% combined rate — 5.75% state plus 0.75% county and transit.
- 44001
- 44011
- 44012
- 44028
- 44035
- 44036
- 44039
- 44044
- 44049
- 44050
- 44052
- 44053
- 44054
- 44055
- 44074
- 44090
ZIP codes are a USPS delivery construct and a few straddle county lines, so a border address can fall in a different taxing county than its ZIP suggests. Check any borderline address with the ZIP code sales tax lookup or Ohio's official rate-by-address finder before you file.
Cities in Lorain County
Compare Lorain County rates
- Butler — 6.50%
- Cuyahoga — 8.00%
- Franklin — 8.00%
- Hamilton — 7.80%
- Lucas — 7.75%
- Montgomery — 7.50%
- Stark — 6.50%
- Summit — 6.75%
- Wayne — 6.50%
- See all 88 counties →
- Browse Ohio rates by city →
Bordering counties: Compare Lorain County (6.50%) with neighboring Erie County (6.75%), Medina County (6.75%), and Ashland County (7.00%).
Commercial sellers: Review our guide on monthly and semiannual Ohio sales tax filing deadlines to stay fully aligned with state tax regulations.
Compare statewide: See where Lorain County ranks across the full Ohio sales tax rates by county table.
Address verification: Some postal ZIP codes in Lorain County touch adjacent counties. To look up a precise street address, use our Ohio sales tax rate by address tool.
Ohio Sales Tax Core Reference Guides:
Rate source: the 6.50% combined rate for Lorain County was verified against the Ohio Department of Taxation's County Rate Table by ZIP Code on . Ohio county rates change on quarterly boundaries; for a legally definitive rate at a specific street address, use the Department's The Finder lookup — our guide to using The Finder walks through it.